Couples Retreat
by MistressSara
Summary: Every marriage hits a bump, the Crawley sisters have each hit their own. A retreat in the country seems like the answer, though none of them expected to arrive for the same weekend. ST/EA/MM fic
1. Arrival

My humble contribution for STEAMM. A modern AU in which Martha isn't their grandmother.

**x-X-x**

"You're certain about this?" Anthony asked, looking at his wife over the top of the brochure again. Edith pulled her attention from the passing scenery and smiled.

"I think it will help." She nodded. "Plus, the train's almost there, too late to turn back now."

"Do you really believe it will help?"

"Yes, Anthony. We need to take care of these… these issues before they get bigger than us."

He hesitantly agreed, she was right, she was always right. Despite his insisting she was right about their marriage. Anthony was thankful everyday that she didn't let him walk away, that after five years of marriage they were still quite happy. Although there was a tension as of late, a hesitance, a tendency to handle each other with kid gloves. Ever since…

"We're here, dearest." She smiled.

That smile was why he agreed to take a week to go air out their problems with a group of strangers. He wanted to see that smile more often, like when they first married. If this was what they needed to do, then it was what they would do.

**x-X-x**

"I still think this is a ridiculous notion." Mary sighed, looking out the window as Matthew drove them through the countryside.

"It's a week of our lives and I think it will be a week well spent."

"We don't have problems."

It was Matthew's turn to sigh. They were certainly having problems. First they had problems conceiving, then with the injections, then adoption. Now it seemed a fight broke out every time the topic was broached. They tried talking to a therapist in the city, but cell phones, appointments, and assistants always seemed to interrupt. Secluded in the country, the rest of the world locked away, it would be a real chance to sort things through. As the very least Matthew was hoping that a decision might finally be made on the subject.

"Here we are." Matthew announced, shifting the car into park in front of the small inn.

"Rather quaint, isn't it."

**x-X-x**

The only sound in the sitting room was the sound of fingers moving across the keypads of their smart phones. Sybil was enthralled by a new speech on her Blackberry, while Tom tapped out a scathing reply to his latest critics on his iPhone. The pair seemed to work nonstop lately; Sybil was running for Parliament while Tom ran the most popular political blog in the country. They were quickly becoming a political power couple in London.

"Did you see the last forward I sent?" Tom chuckled.

"Hmm? Oh, yes." She laughed, neither looking up from their phones.

Once more they lapsed into silence. This had become commonplace in their marriage. When they first married Sybil was seventeen and Tom was twenty-one, back then everything was passionate and spontaneous. That was ten years ago, before they became responsible adults that had to worry about events and schedules and their daughter Vi. Without realizing it their world changed completely, slowly but surely their romantic dinners morphed into leftovers from different lunch and dinner meetings and a nanny to look after their daughter. The day Vi asked if the nanny was her real mum was the day the Bransons realized something had to change.

"You packed a few sweaters, didn't you?" Came a familiar voice from the front door.

"Yes, Anthony. And if all else fails I'll steal one of yours."

"Edith?" Sybil finally put her phone down, surprised to see her sister and brother-in-law at the door.

"Sybil!"

"What are you doing here?"

"Same as you I suppose."

"Matthew, I can carry my own suitcase. You don't have to dote-" Mary fell silent as they realized who else was in the entrance way of the inn. "What on earth are you all doing here?"

"Did mama send all three of us the same article?" Sybil asked, answered by a chorus of realization.

Before anything more could be said a pair of pocket doors slid open revealing a tall woman in her 60s. She was fit with bright red hair and a welcoming smile.

"Marvelous! You're all here." Her accent was American and her tone jovial. "I'm Doctor Martha Levinson, of the Newport Levinsons."

"What precisely are you a doctor of?" Mary interrupted.

"My degrees are on the wall of my office, if you're so inclined." She moved to the side, gesturing to the room behind her.

"That's not necessary." Edith smiled, putting a hand on her sister's arm.

"Have we already become acquainted?" Martha questioned.

"We're sisters." Sybil explained.

"And the men who married them." Anthony offered.

"Really? Well, this is certainly different. But I look forward to the group sessions." The doctor chuckled. "Mrs. Hughes will show you to your rooms, then we'll meet down here in a few minutes and get started."

"I hope you've got a first aid box on hand." Tom murmured as he passed the doctor.

"With marital groups? Always."


	2. Sybil and Tom

"This should be interesting." Sybil whispered to Tom as they followed her sisters and their husbands back downstairs.

"I was thinking more violent. When was the last time Edith and Mary were in the same room together?"

"Before Edith and Anthony got married… I think it was at the bridal shower… Yes! That was it. Edith overheard Mary and someone else talking about how there was no term for when both the bride and the groom were settling."

"Come along, don't dawdle." Martha called from the doorway of her office, a small lock box in her hands. "Kindly place your cell phones within. If you need to make a call this week there's a far from smart telephone at the front desk."

"I'm sorry, but I'm expecting…" Sybil began before handing over her phone.

"Are you here for work or for your marriage?"

"Marriage."

"Then in goes your phone, dear." Martha smiled.

Each couple had a small loveseat to sit on, the furniture had been arranged in a circle, completed by the lone chair where Martha would sit.

"Giving up the phone is always the hardest part because you're removing the distraction, the barrier you tend to hide behind when things start to get rough. In my day you finished the fight or left the room, there was no in between. I am here, essentially, to facilitate a conversation between spouses. Occasionally to act as a referee, but mostly to help guide the conversation and force you to continue on through instead of sidestepping the real issues. Usually I start with an icebreaker, but as you already know each other perhaps you could just introduce yourselves for my benefit and tell me in one word why you're here."

"Tom Branson, communication."

"Sybil Branson, same."

"Mary Crawley, lack of reproduction."

"More than one word." Martha chided with a small smile.

"Matthew Crawley, fighting."

"Edith Strallan, overprotective."

"Anthony Strallan, apparently overprotective."

"More than one as well. All right, well, why don't we dive right in and we'll be begin with the couple that had the most difficulty separating themselves from their mobile devices."

"It's not that it's difficult, it's just…" Sybil began.

"Work requires that we're always going through emails or reading articles or…"

"Or missing important events for each other or spending too much time staring at a screen to see to your daughter?" Martha interjected. Both Sybil and Tom fell silent, looking guilty as they exchanged glances.

"There's just… there's always so much going on." Sybil's voice conveyed her exhaustion. "There never seems to be enough hours in the day. Vi is growing up so fast an it feels like we're missing it all."

"She takes on too much." Tom explained.

"So do you! I'm not the one who falls asleep with their phone in their hand or sitting in front of the computer."

"I have work to do, you aren't the only one trying to make a difference in the world."

"I'm going to stop you there, Tom. Let me ask you this, you're both so busy trying to make a difference in the world, when was the last time you tried to make a difference in your home life?"

"Well…" Tom began.

"What home life?"

"There we are. Tonight, I want you two to have a conversation, a straightforward conversation. This is a task for all of you in fact. I want you to sit down and talk about why you're here and what you're hoping to accomplish this week. That's it for today, I'm sure Mrs. Hughes already has dinner set out for you all. We'll meet back here at 10 sharp tomorrow morning. And we'll start with Mary and Matthew."

Dinner was a quiet affair, no one was really keen to speak to each other after their first session finished. Sybil and Tom were both trying to think about what they could discuss while the others were concerned with what would be said when their turn for Martha's attentions came around. After the meal finished the couples each went their own way; Anthony and Edith outside for a walk, Matthew and Mary into the sitting room for coffee, while Sybil and Tom returned to their room.

"So." Tom ventured carefully.

"So." Sybil sighed, moving past him. He watched as she paced the length of their small room before she stopped at the window looking out over the rolling green pastures. In the yard out front she could see Edith and Anthony resting on a bench facing the small pond.

"I didn't mean anything by that earlier… about how you take on too much. I know I do the same thing." Tom offered, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Do you think there's something wrong with us?" She asked, turning suddenly.

"What? No. Why would you think that?"

"We always seem to find something to fill the time, but that something is so rarely each other anymore."

"I don't think that means there's something wrong with us. We've just fallen into a pattern."

"I don't like this pattern."

Tom moved back on the bed, resting against the headboard and putting his arms out for his wife. Sybil abandoned the window, climbing into bed next to her husband and resting happily against him.

"I don't like it either. But we're aware of it now, we can decide what to do differently."

"No more weekend events."

"Agreed." Tom nodded. "I've reached a point where I could probably hire a few people onto the site. Lessen my work load a little."

"I can cut back in some places, but with elections coming up the next few weeks are going to definitely be a bit packed."

"Then we'll figure something out for those weeks."

"I want to have family dinners."

"I think that's a marvelous idea."

"Do you think we'll be able to make this work?" Sybil asked nervously.

"I think we can do anything we set our minds to."

"In that case I think you should set your mind to kissing me."

"That I can most certainly do."

With a smile Tom leaned down, his lips meeting hers in a soft kiss. It seemed as though it had been years since they had been left alone long enough to kiss, let alone engage in any of their other favorite activities. Suddenly the week away seemed like the most brilliant idea anyone ever had. Not everything was fixed yet, but it was a start.


	3. Mary and Matthew

Mary felt exhausted. It was four in the morning, she only managed to sleep for a few hours and now she found herself lying awake. It was far from her first restless night. Matthew always seemed to sleep peacefully regardless of how she tossed and turned. Normally she could use the time to her benefit but with her cell phone confiscated and her laptop sitting at their flat in London, there was nothing to do but thumb through one of the few books she could find in the bedroom. Some old murder mystery about people trapped in a house together. If she had to wager a bet on whom among their group would end up dead smart money would be on Martha.

It would be a Murder on the Orient Express situation…

As she climbed out of bed Matthew simply shifted and continued to sleep. It always seemed that he could sleep no matter what. Bombs could rain down on London and he would have been able to sleep through them. Not Mary. There was always too much to think about, too many problems to solve. She had taken over her father's law firm when he decided to semi-retire, which left her with twice the responsibility but only the same amount of time. On top of that there was the drama of reproduction. She never thought that having a baby would take so much effort, raising a child, yes, but creating one was proving to be a different story.

Mary finally gave up on finding something to occupy her mind and went in search of the kitchen. The downstairs was mostly dark still, save for one small light was on in the front room. It took a few wrong turns to find the swinging door that led to kitchen, where she found another light already on.

"Hello?" Mary called quietly, pushing the door open, rather surprised to find Anthony sitting at the counter with a pot of tea and a fresh newspaper.

"Morning." He greeted, looking up from what he was reading. "Tea?"

"Yes, thank you." She hesitated slightly before sitting down across from him. "Couldn't sleep either?"

"Had a nightmare, couldn't get back to sleep." He pushed a cup towards her before folding up the paper. "Apparently Martha has a deal to receive the paper first on the chap's delivery route."

"I doubt many argue with her."

"True. So, what has you up so early?"

"My usual insomnia. Work, family, failed reproduction, the same old."

"I've been there."

"Oh?"

"My first wife was rather single-minded when it came to having a child. The shots, the treatments, odd smelling teas, any theory she could find was tested for the first two years of our marriage. It was such a hectic time, I was trying to get the publishing house up and running. I don't think I had one decent night of sleep that whole time."

"Didn't Maude finally become pregnant? I feel like I remember seeing her at one of my parents' Christmas parties." Mary was only thirteen at the time but she had a vague recollection of Maude Strallan glowing and expecting.

"Ah yes. That was shortly before…" he cleared his throat and looked away for a moment. "We lost the baby and it was too much for her."

"What happened?"

"She sent me out to pick something up. When I got home it was too late, she had taken an overdose of sleeping medication."

"I'm so sorry, Anthony." Mary finally managed. "I never knew the specifics."

"Not something I share."

"Does Edith?"

"Oh yes, of course. There's nothing kept secret between Edith and myself." Anthony paused for a moment before meeting Mary's eyes again. "May I offer a bit of unsolicited advice?"

"I suppose."

"Let Matthew shoulder some of your concerns. All of you Crawley women are so similar."

Mary scoffed at that notion.

"I know overall you three are individuals. But when it comes to the core you're all strong and a fair bit stubborn. But that's the perk to having a partner, you don't have to be strong all the time, you can share the struggles. Just a bit of advice from an old man." He offered with a smile before putting his cup in the sink and moving towards the door.

"Is your sleep better now? With Edith?" Mary called before he disappeared into the hall.

"Everything's better Edie." He answered without hesitation. "Good morning, Mary."

"Good morning, Anthony."

**x-X-x**

"Matthew, would you like to respond?" Martha prompted.

"I just don't understand why you never said anything before. I love you, Mary. If you were feeling overwhelmed why not just tell me?"

"Because every conversation about children turns into a fight."

"Not every."

"Most. Everything in our lives has become about babies. We don't even have sex for fun anymore!"

"Do you not want to have children?"

"I don't want our lives to revolve around it."

"That's all you needed to say." Matthew snapped back.

"This is a good time for a break." Martha suggested, the tension in the room suddenly palpable. The room cleared out, leaving Mary and Matthew sitting alone.

"You're cross with me." Mary stated, neither turning to face the other.

"Yes."

"Because I don't want kids to be our number one priority?"

"Because this is the first time you've said so. Because no matter how many times you say that it's our life or our focus, you don't actually mean 'our.' We aren't partners, we're roommates with an ovulation calendar pinned to the bathroom cabinet."

"Do you really feel that way?"

"Lately, yes. I offer to help you with the firm, you brush me off, and with things at home you tell me not to bother. I love that you can handle so much on your own, but you don't have to. I wish you would let me help you. Let me take care of you once in a while."

"I'm exhausted, Matthew." She couldn't stop the sob that escaped her as she fell against him. "Everyone expects so much from me. My parents, the board, and then this entire struggle with you and children… I can't focus on it all. I can't sleep at night. I feel like I'm coming up short at every turn."

"Shh." He tried to sooth, brushing her hair back as she cried against his chest.

"I can't be perfect all the time. I can't be everything everyone is demanding. I've scarcely had a moment of peace in months."

"You aren't coming up short. You're doing beautifully. Just let me help every now and again. The only expectation you need to meet is your own. Please let me help, Mary."

"I'd… I'd like that." She sniffled before letting out a small laugh of relief.

"If we do things together it might make it easier. You aren't the only capable lawyer in this marriage."

"Yes. Although, I did marry you for your looks." She teased.

"Of course you did. I am quite the catch." He shrugged.

"That you are." He pressed a kiss to her temple before she rested her head against his shoulder. "I'm going to need a fair bit of help in the future."

"Oh?"

"Yes. What with work and the baby coming."


	4. Edith and Anthony

"Nervous?" Anthony asked, noticing how Edith's hand shook as she buttoned up her blouse.

"A bit. More that we have to discuss these things in front of my siblings."

"We don't have to."

"Can't back out now, they've already gone." Carefully he took her by the hand, pulling her onto the small loveseat with him.

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. If you don't want to share…"

"I think it might help. We've kept it to ourselves long enough, maybe this will finally help us move ahead."

"Whatever you think is best."

"What do you think?"

"I'm not sure. But if it can help then we should."

**x-X-x**

"Edith, on our first day you said that you were here because of Anthony's over protectiveness."

"Well not that alone, but you had asked for one word."

"Yes." Martha nodded. "But let's start from there. Is this a new trait?"

"About a year now. Anthony has always been very attentive and caring but in the last year it has amplified."

"What a terrible problem to have." Mary muttered, her sister's head quickly turned in her direction.

"Something you would like to say, Mary?" Martha prompted.

"I'm sorry, but it seems like a far from serious problem. Someone caring about you too much."

"That's not the problem." Edith countered, a bit of her old spark bubbling through.

"Sounds like you're complaining about having an attentive husband." Mary shrugged.

"Would you let me finish my sentence? My God, Mary! For once in my life could you let me speak without letting your desire to berate me win out?"

"Edith, calm down, sweetheart." Anthony offered calmly resting his hand on hers. Quickly she pulled her hand away and stood.

"No. I'm not going to calm down. I'm tired of calming down. It's been a year, Anthony, the doctor said it was all right for me to be active and emotional again."

"A year since what, Edith?" Martha asked.

It was as though she had just woken from a dream, looking around the room Edith became aware of the fact that she was standing. She was also aware of Anthony's expression, almost hurt though not betraying his emotions completely. Taking a deep breath she prepared to speak again.

"A year since the miscarriage." Anthony answered, his tone unrecognizable. "We lost the baby and then I almost lost Edith."

"Anthony…"

"I have to take care of you. I already lost one wife, I can't go through that again. I can't survive in a world without you, Edith."

"I know that, Anthony. And I love you for that. But you treat me as though I'm made of glass, that I'll break if you touch me. It's been seven months since the doctor cleared me."

"I don't want to hurt you."

"You won't! You never have. I just want you to treat me like you did before all of this…" Edith took a deep breath again, suddenly uncomfortable with all eyes on her. "I can't do this."

"Edith." Anthony called after her as she left the room. Before he could stand to follow her, Mary stood.

"Let me try." She said briefly, waiting for his nod of approval before heading after her sister. Edith was outside, sitting on the bench in front of the pond, where she and Anthony had sat a few days earlier. "Edith?"

"Not now, Mary."

"I won't say anything then. I'll just sit here." She offered, taking the spot next to Edith. They sat in silence for a few moments.

"Am I a horrible wife?"

"What?"

"He's concerned, he's terrified of losing me and I'm a horrible person who's agitated by the attention."

"You aren't a horrible wife or person, Edith. You're human. It's an unimaginable feeling isn't it? Losing a baby." Mary ventured quietly.

"You?"

"Twice."

"You never said…"

"That would've required us speaking to each other and you never said either."

"True. I love him… I love him with a fierceness I never thought myself capable of. But when he dotes and when he… finds reasons not to make love…"

"It makes you relive it all over again."

"Exactly. It reminds me of what happened."

"You'll never forget it, but it will start to get easier." Mary smiled, patting her sister's knee.

"Thank you."

"What are big sister's for? Don't answer that."

"I'm sorry we haven't spoken for so long."

"I'm sorry too. And I'm sorry for what I said that day. I actually like Anthony, you're good for each other."

"I certainly think so."

"I'll send him out, you two have some things to speak about."

"Mary." Edith called as her sister walked back towards the inn.

"Yes?"

"I love you."

"I love you too."

With that she disappeared inside and Edith suddenly felt nervous about what she would say to Anthony, if he was angry with her.

"Are you all right?" His voice suddenly interrupted her thoughts.

"I'm fine." She fell silent for a moment, waiting for him to sit beside her. "We haven't had sex in almost a year."

"I know."

"I miss you. I miss us, the old us before everything changed."

"I miss us too. But I get so nervous that I won't be able to…"

"To what?"

"Control myself."

"I don't want you to control yourself, Anthony. I miss the passion. The doctor said it was okay to resume normal activity… Is there something more to this?"

"Yes."

"Are you afraid that I might become pregnant again?"

"Yes. I can't even fathom what I would do if we went through that again or worse, if I lost you as well. That can't happen."

"We can't stop living, Anthony. Do you remember what was going on just before we lost the baby?"

"We had just moved into the townhouse."

"Right. And I was starting that new job and fighting with my mother and trying to help with Sybil's campaign. It was stress. Dr. Clarkson said so, all of the upheaval and stress at that point in time was the cause. Nothing else is at fault. You are not at fault." Anthony nodded weakly and for the first time Edith realized that tears were streaming down his face. "Oh, darling."

She moved across the bench, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and hugging him tightly.

"It wasn't our fault." She whispered. "It wasn't your fault."

"I love you, Edie."

"I love you too." He pulled back just enough to face her. There was barely time for the surprised gasp to escape her as Anthony's lips were pressing hard against hers. "I need you, Anthony."

He nodded in agreement, not willing to break their embrace for words. Reaching down he took her hand and pulled her to her feet. sIn Martha's office the remaining group struggled to find a topic for small talk when the sound of the door slamming echoed through the first floor of the inn.

"Ah, here they are." Martha smiled, watching the doorway for the couple's return. They never appeared. Instead they heard the creak of the stairs and the slamming of a door upstairs. Sybil and Mary exchanged glances, unable to silence their giggles.

"Maybe this is an ideal time for a stroll around the property." Martha suggested. At the first groan of what sounded rather like a headboard making contact with the wall everyone eagerly agreed and made for the door.


End file.
